ETMC Cardiovascular Institute

How can we improve care for heart patients?

That question was posed to cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons more than 20 years ago when ETMC was planning to build its cardiovascular institute.

Their answers helped ETMC build a true heart hospital that was better by design

Even today it stands out from most other hospitals because the cardiovascular imaging area, catheterization lab, cardiac surgery suites and cardiovascular ICU are all located next to each other in one place, with one purpose: to make heart care better for the people of East Texas.

“How is it better? Everyone is there at the same place, so we’re not spread out over the hospital. If someone has a failed angioplasty, you don’t have to take them down the hall, up the elevator and down another hall, doing CPR all the way. You just go from one room across to the next. It’s fantastic; it’s very different.”– Stephen Phillips, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon

“I think ETMC was way ahead of its time and built a heart hospital before it was cool.”– Charles Lee, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon

“There’s no place that has a better setup to take care of sick patients. It was designed with that in mind.”– Robert Carney, MD, cardiologist

“It’s a concept that was a great idea 20 years ago when they thought of it, and it’s still very applicable today. And you’ll see a lot of programs emulating that concept.”– Vivek Patel, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon

“It gives you that extra margin of safety. ETMC was committed to building a first-rate institution that gave first-rate care.”– Stephen Sigal, MD, cardiologist

The ETMC Cardiovascular Institute: the region’s first heart hospital at the heart of a regional program designed to save lives.

To learn more, see our Services list. For questions or to make an appointment, call 903-535-6496 or 855-349-8258.